On Wednesday night, the Texas Longhorns released their first SEC-mandated availability report of the season, and shockingly, star running back Hollywood Smothers was listed as "questionable."
It was the first anyone had heard about injury concerns for the running back, who leads the one-two punch in the backfield with fellow RB Raleek Brown.
On Thursday, when Texas released its latest availability report, Smothers was still listed as questionable, and concern was mounting that the Horns' RB1 wouldn't be available as they faced their first conference opponent of the season: the No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers.
Now, the good news is that Texas has depth at the position with players like Brown, second-year running back Michael Terry III, and true freshman Derrek Cooper. However, Smothers has undeniably been the star of the show so far this season, amassing 198 rushing yards for two touchdowns in the first three games.
"There’s legitimate concern that Texas standout running back Hollywood Smothers could end up missing the Longhorns’ game against No. 14 Tennessee," CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz wrote on X on Thursday evening. "No final determination made at this point, but the status of Smothers (lower leg) is very much in question."
There’s legitimate concern that Texas standout running back Hollywood Smothers could end up missing the Longhorns’ game against No. 14 Tennessee, sources tell @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) September 25, 2026
No final determination made at this point but the status of Smothers (lower leg) is very much in question. pic.twitter.com/esxerYgtqE
Head coach Steve Sarkisian had kept any injury updates extremely close to the vest all week, not sharing any additional information on Smothers during his Thursday press conference.
So, while it might be painful beyond belief, Longhorn Nation is most likely going to have to wait to see if their star fullback is a go for Saturday's top-15 conference matchup.
Texas's latest injury report isn't entirely bad news for the Horns
While the continued presence of Smothers on the availability report is far from ideal, there was one piece of good news coming out of the 40 Acres on Thursday evening: star edge rusher Collin Simmons was no longer listed.
Simmons injured his foot during Texas's Week 3 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners and was initially listed as "probable" on the first report the Horns released, but it wasn't certain he would be able to suit up.
Now that he is off the report, it looks liek Simmons will be a full go for the Week 4 game on Saturday.
4 Longhorns ruled out ahead of Texas vs. Tennessee in Week 4
On the first report, Sarkisian had only included three players as "out," including defensive lineman Justus Terry, defensive back Xavier Filsaime, and offensive lineman Jordan Coleman.
When the secondary availability report came out on Thursday, tight end Nick Townsend had joined the group, after originally being listed as "doubtful." Townsend missed both of Texas's last two games, including the team's comeback win over the Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 2.
The No. 1 Horns and the No. 14 Vols are scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 26, and it might not be until just before the game begins that we learn if Smothers will be able to play or not.
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